The Black Sea Opens to the World with Cruise Tourism

Turkey stands out as a tourism paradise with its natural and cultural riches, and is known as the “chimneyless industry” thanks to the contribution of tourism to the economy. The country’s historical sites, cities, forests and seas make a significant contribution to the economy. Cruise tourism, which is a rapidly growing branch of sea and port tourism in particular, draws attention with the potential it offers. In 2024, cruise tourism gained great momentum in the Black Sea as well as the Mediterranean and Aegean ports. Black Sea cruise tourism, which had almost come to a standstill due to the negative effects of the Russia-Ukraine war, was revived this year thanks to the Astoria Grande cruise ship operated by Camelot Maritime. Cruise tourism in the region has become increasingly popular with trips organized to the ports of Samsun, Sinop and especially Trabzon.

Tourism in Black Sea Cities Revived Even More with Our Cruise Trips

With the revival of cruise tourism, there has been a significant increase in the number of foreign tourists coming to cities on the Black Sea coast by cruise ships. Camelot Maritime Chairman of the Board Emrah Yilmaz Cavusoglu“We organize cruise voyages between the Black Sea ports and Russia, and thanks to this, the number of foreign tourists coming to the cities in the region is increasing rapidly. This mobility both increases the tourism income in the port cities and revives cruise tourism in the Black Sea. There is a high demand for cruise tourism in the region, and we are responding to this demand with our Astoria Grande ship. In the first 9 months of the year, we organized 12 voyages between Russia and Trabzon, and as a result, there was a record 154% increase in the number of foreign tourists coming to Trabzon compared to the previous year.” he said.

New Route in Regional Tourism: Black Sea

The resumption of cruise voyages in the Black Sea has significantly increased the number of tourists in the region. Stating that they aim to ensure that cruise tourism develops in the Black Sea as it does in the Mediterranean and Aegean, Emrah Yılmaz Çavuşoğlu said, “Our country has a great sea and port tourism potential. However, this potential has been used less in the Black Sea compared to other regions. The war in the north of the Black Sea weakened tourism in the region. Now, we aim to contribute to our country's tourism income by organizing voyages between our cities in the Black Sea and the cities of other countries bordering the Black Sea with our cruise ship. We plan to increase our voyages next year and evaluate a cruise tourism potential in the Black Sea that will be as good as the Mediterranean and Aegean.”

The Region's Potential is Being Discovered with New Expeditions

Stating that they aim to carry the tourism success on the Mediterranean and Aegean coasts to the Black Sea, Çavuşoğlu said, “Our country has a great potential in sea tourism and we are working to realize this potential in the Black Sea. “The Black Sea has a great treasure in terms of tourism with its natural beauties, historical riches and cultural heritage. However, this potential has not yet been fully discovered. Cruise tourism offers an important opportunity that will increase tourism revenues in the region as well as contribute to local economies. With the voyages we carry out with our Astoria Grande ship, we aim to make the touristic appeal of the Black Sea more accessible to both local and foreign tourists.”

Source: HORECA TREND and Camelot Maritime